Jambo Rafiki

Kilimanjaro Trek - Marangu Route


Day One - Marangu Gate to Mandara Camp

A drive from the hotel through Moshi and villages on the south slope brought us to Kilimanjaro Park headquarters. Here we registered and in the meantime I pondered about how I would escape the madness I got myself into.

From here the vegetation zone is densely populated sub-montane agro-forest. Water droplets fall from the branches of camphorwood and yellowwood trees. Sound of rushing water can be heard. The tree ferns (Cyathea manniana) are huge. The trees branches are covered in 'old man's beard' and lichen.


These two Tanzanian boys were following us up so I decided to take a picture. They weren't smiling at first so I told them to smile and my guide Milton translated. The taller boy then said: 'something, something'. After two snaps I happily gave them something. They followed us for a while and vanished when they realised I wasn't going to take more photos of them.

Half way up to Mandara huts we stopped for lunch. We weren't the only ones who were hungry - a bushy-tailed Mongoose(Bdeogale crassicauda) was looking for a munch too. I assume that it is used to the people stopping at this spot for lunch, to grab a bite from fallen food and handouts.

This road is used by porters, maintenance and ambulances. Guides and those looking to conquer Kili have to take the long muddy route.

Finally after 3-4 hours of hiking through forest, we arrived at Mandara huts(camp) - a name given to it from a tribe chief Mandara who believed the mountain was a god and thought it was blasphemous to climb it.

Day 2 - Mandara Camp to Horombo Camp

From here the forest clears to slowly reveal moorland and heath. The appearance of fog becomes apparent but its actually cloud cover that we pass through.

Two hours into the hike and Kibo will show itself displaying its melting icecap.

Coming up to a ridge you can see the Horombo huts but before any lying down or having a deserved snack its a another half-an-hour hike up another slope. The walk is slow paced but the breathing doesn't show it - long deep breathes, nausea and a headache are signs of high altitude.

Nairobi, Kenya

Eventually I've made it in Nairobi for my trip to Tanzania and the hike up mt. Kilimanjaro. The transfer from the airport to hotel was as exhausting as the flight was - we got caught in morning rush hour. It possibly took two hours to get to the hotel, sometimes not moving an inch for ten minutes. Development in the city seems to go as slow as the traffic and as dangerously. No road markings, traffic signs and even traffic lights. Taxis speed past amongst pedestrians and cyclists on the dusty and untarred hard shoulder. Now, I can't complain about any other bad traffic in London or any where else until I see worse.

Wembley Park Trail Lights

For a while I've wanted to give this a try. A slow shutter speed is great to create trail lights. Its easy to over expose so fiddling with the exposure compensation will let less light into the lens.

The images show Wembley Park Station on Bridge road.

The high trail lights is a double decker bus passing while the shutter is open.


After about thirty minutes into shooing I had to introduce myself to police. They were friendly and didn't demand me to give them my memory card or tell me to stop. They asked if I was a student and found it quite peculiar seeing someone sitting on the side walk taking photographs after 10pm at night. Its old news - amateur and professional photographers alike are getting hammered in London after 7/7.

Click on the in photos dot org in Blogs and Sites to see more on the topic of photogaphers rights in the UK.

The Humble Bumble

Today I was browsing images and came across these photographs of bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) collecting pollen.

One of the main differences between honey bees and bumblebees is that honey bees produce honey and bumblebees do not.



Due to habitat destruction bumblebees are in danger in many developed countries. Nineteen species of bumblebee are known to exist in Britain along with six cuckoo bumblebees (Bombus psithyrus). Three species are already extinct and eight are endangered.

The cuckoo bumblebees(Bombus psithyrus) female raid other colonies and then kill or subdue the queen. She is then able to "enslave" the workers using pheromones making it possible to feed her young.

The Gherkin and Lloyds

"The building that brought central London into the modern era of avant garde skyscrapers didn't come without controversy. Officially known as 30 St. Mary Axe, this building has been lovingly described as a lighthouse of 21st century architecture, and mocked as the "gherkin." When the Swiss Re insurance company commissioned the building, it intended it to be a landmark.


The building is stunning in appearance -- a festival of dark and light glass with spandrels serving as streamers circling it like an Olympic dancer. Rectangular glass panes are forsaken for triangles and diamonds, and with each floor offset from the one below by five degrees, the building appears to work itself into a spiral like a pile of clay on a potter's wheel.

The result is stunning and smooth. Even though the building appears round, the glass facade is actually all made of flat panels. The only curved piece of glass is the lens that tops the structure."


http://www.londonarchitecture.co.uk/Building/731/30_St._Mary_Axe.php





Buildings are a favourite because they don't move while trying to photogragh them. So, I take my time setting up my tripod and camera to capture a special shot. I don't show many photos of the Lloyds building, its on the left of the above picture.


The rate of new buildings springing up in the city centre is overwhelming. Its nice to see the difference in architectual design that a few centuries make.

Fly-By Shootout

This particular subject was quite difficult to shoot. The sunny conditions made it a little more easier. I think I used about a gigabyte of memory trying to get a good photo of this busy bugger.